First Hornblower boat ready for shipment

The first of the two catamarans that will carry Hornblower Niagara Cruises passengers in spring 2014 has been completed and will soon be transported to its home base Niagara Falls, Ont.

Hike Metal, based in Wheatley, Ont., is constructing the two catamarans for Hornblower Niagara Cruises, the firm that will begin tour boat operations in the lower Niagara Gorge this spring. San Francisco-based Hornblower will run its 700-passenger boats from the Canadian shoreline in Niagara Falls while the Maid of the Mist Steamboat Co. will continue its passenger runs from the American side of the Falls.

The two Hornblower-owned catamarans each weigh 110 tons and are slightly more than 85-feet long and nearly 33-feet wide.

Hike Metal will disassemble both boats and transport them in January to Niagara Falls, where they will be re-assembled and prepped for the upcoming season. The 2014 season marks the first time Hornblower Niagara Cruises will operate, having been awarded the tour boat bid from the Niagara Parks Commission in early 2012.

The catamarans feature raised viewing platforms on their upper deck, open decks and a sliding enclosed walls for dry observation points.